The members of the book club you just joined are swooning over The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, which you loathed. Best advice, if you want to make friends? Hold your tongue. A study shows that opposition to a new group member is a common defense mechanism among regulars who see the newbie as an outsider, no matter how well considered her opinion. Even if one person in the group thinks the novel is as dreadful as you do, keep your thoughts to yourself. “There is a strong sense of ‘It’s okay if we say it, but you can’t,’” says study coauthor Matthew Hornsey, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Queensland, in Australia. Until group members get to know and trust you better, the most welcome contribution you can make to gatherings is a platter of cookies. –Nicole McGovern